March 17, 2016

Crawfish Season!

I've been waiting four long years to partake in a crawfish feasting session again. My first experience was when I last lived here. And in the following years when I came to visit, I kept asking, "Is it crawfish season yet??!?!" And I was always met with a resounding no.

But now that it's early spring, the time has come for crawfish season! Googling has led me to learn that the season is dependent on how warm the winter was so it can start as early as January if the winter was mild. But usually it'll begin in late February-early March and last until June.

Crawfish are abundant near the gulf and are popular in Cajun cuisine. They are boiled and seasoned with a Cajun spice blend and served with vegetables---usually potatoes and corn. And it's helpful to wear gloves while eating but extra napkins are a must (and maybe even a bib).

And since it was a pretty warm winter this year, crawfishies are bustling in H-town! Sista, my friend Xiaodi and I decided to patronize LA Crawfish, where I first sampled crawfish. We ordered by the pound ($6.99/lb and we split 5lbs between the 3 of us but then I just learned that one person can eat about 4-5lbs).

In the four year absence from these prickly little suckers, I needed to be reeducated in how to eat crawfish. I couldn't take a picture of the steps since we were all wearing sauce-filled plastic gloves. It is quite a messy meal and DEFINITELY not first date appropriate---maybe not even tenth date appropriate (just kidding). But seriously, MESS-Y!!!

It's quite a lot of labor for very little edible meat in each crawfish. But essentially, you rip the tail off and eat the tail meat and then suck the juices out of the head.

Now that I know I could probably stand to eat another pound on my own, I'm going to have another go at them. I'm a little on the fence about if I really love them but I think the joy of crawfish eating is in the experience of eating them with good company.